Ijaz Ahmed (cricketer, born 1968)

Last updated

Ijaz Ahmed
Ijaz Ahmed (cricketer, born 1968).jpg
Ahmed in 2013
Personal information
Full name
Ijaz Ahmed
Born (1968-09-20) 20 September 1968 (age 56)
Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm) [1]
BattingRight-handed
BowlingLeft-arm medium
Role Batsman
Relations Saleem Malik (brother-in-law) [2]
International information
National side
Test debut(cap  107)3 February 1987 v  India
Last Test27 March 2001 v  New Zealand
ODI debut(cap  60)14 November 1986 v  West Indies
Last ODI11 October 2000 v  New Zealand
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
Men's Cricket
Representing Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
ICC Cricket World Cup
Winner 1992 Australia and New Zealand
Runner-up 1999 England-Wales
-Ireland-Scotland-Netherlands
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 4 February 2006

Ijaz Ahmed (Urdu: اعجاز احمد) (born 20 September 1968) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who played 60 Test matches and 250 One Day Internationals for Pakistan from 1986 to 2001. He was a part of the Pakistani squad which won the 1992 Cricket World Cup.

Contents

Personal life

Born in Sialkot, his family roots lie in the city of Jalandhar (now in Punjab, India) where some of his cousins still live. [3]

He is a brother-in-law of former Pakistan international cricketer and captain Saleem Malik. [2]

Career

Cricket career

Ahmed scored six Test centuries against the world's top-ranked side, Australia – a record number of centuries by a Pakistani against Australia, shared with Javed Miandad. However, 33 of his 92 innings yielded single-figure scores, 54 of them yielded scores below 20.

Ijaz Ahmed came into the national side at the height of the Imran Khan era, and remained on the fringes for nearly a decade, despite several good scores. Dropped after the 1992 World Cup, he came back strongly the following season and established himself at the pivotal "one down" position. He performed poorly at the 1999 World Cup, and the arrival of Younis Khan brought an end to his international career. He formally retired from cricket in 2003.

Ahmed's 250 matches is the seventh-highest of all time in Pakistan, behind Shahid Afridi, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Wasim Akram, Saleem Malik, Younis Khan, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Malik.

A powerful hitter of the ball, Ahmed became the second Pakistani batsman to score 10 ODI centuries. At Lahore, in 1997, Ahmed collapsed the Indian bowling attack by making a quick century off just 68 balls including 9 sixes, remaining not out for 139*; his highest ODI score.

In Test cricket, Ahmed scored 12 Test centuries, including his first and only double century against Sri Lanka, when he scored 211. Ahmed is the top scorer for Pakistan side against South Africa.

On 21 April 1997, in a Test match against Sri Lanka, Ahmed was at the crease on 97, when a run-out attempt brought ambiguity in the decision. However, replays declared Salim Malik as dismissed, and Ahmad was called back to the crease. This was the first time for a batsman to return from the pavilion to the crease since 1987. [4]

Coaching career

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) named fielding coach of that time Ijaz as the national side's batting consultant for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe. [5] He was later appointed assistant coach of the national team before the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe on request of team management. [6]

Ahmed was appointed as the coach of Pakistan's Under-19 cricket team on 20 October 2019. [7]

He was the head coach for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League. [8]

International centuries

Ijaz Ahmed made 22 centuries in international cricket – 12 in Test cricket and 10 in One Day Internationals. He scored his first Test century against Australia at Faisalabad in September 1988, scoring 122. [9] He scored his final Test century, also against Australia at the Perth on in November 1999, [10] scoring 115. His highest Test score is 211, scored against Sri Lanka at Dhaka in 1999. [11]

He scored his first ODI century against Bangladesh at Chittagong, scoring 124*. [12] He scored his final ODI century against England at Sharjah in 1999, [13] scoring 137. His highest ODI score of 139 not out came against India in 1997 at Lahore. [14]

Test centuries [15]
No.ScoreAgainstPos.Inn.TestVenueH/A/NDateResultRef
1Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 612/3 Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad Home23 September 1988Drawn [9]
2Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 541/3 Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Away12 January 1990Lost [16]
3Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 313/3 Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Away30 November 1995Won [17]
4Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 331/1 Lancaster Park, Christchurch Away8 December 1995Won [18]
5Flag of England.svg  England 312/3 Headingley, Leeds Away8 August 1996Drawn [19]
6Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 322/2 Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Home28 November 1996Won [20]
7Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 321/2 R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo Away19 April 1997Drawn [21]
8WestIndiesCricketFlagPre1999.svg  West Indies 223/3 National Stadium, Karachi Home6 December 1997Won [22]
9Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 322/3 Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar Home15 October 1998Drawn [23]
10Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 343/3 National Stadium, Karachi Home22 October 1998Drawn [24]
11Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 32 Final Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka Neutral12 March 1999Won [11]
12Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 333/3 WACA Ground, Perth Away26 November 1999Lost [10]
ODI centuries [25]
No.ScoreAgainstPos.Inn.SRVenueH/A/NDateResultRef
1Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 41142.52 M. A. Aziz Stadium, Chittagong Away29 October 1988Won [12]
2Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 32102.00 The Gabba, Brisbane Neutral10 February 1990Won [26]
3Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 51100.00 Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Home20 October 1994Won [27]
4Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 32126.66 Kingsmead, Durban Away17 December 1994Won [28]
5Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 31111.42 Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar Home3 November 1996Won [29]
6Flag of India.svg  India 12165.47 Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Home2 October 1997Won [14]
7Flag of India.svg  India 41104.46 Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka Neutral18 January 1998Lost [30]
8Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 31101.83 Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore Home10 November 1998Lost [31]
9Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 31128.15 Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi Home24 November 1998Won [32]
10Flag of England.svg  England 31105.38 Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Neutral7 April 1999Won [13]

Controversies

Fraud case

In 2009, he was jailed for fake issuance of bank cheques. [2] [33] He was remanded for six weeks in jail and later received a bail. [34] [35] In 2012, a local court charged him with forgery. [36]

Racism against Pashtuns

Ijaz Ahmed was heavily criticized by a large number of former cricket players, and journalists after he made racist remarks about the number of Pashtun players in the Pakistan cricket team, calling them illiterate and accusing them of not being able to handle pressure because of their upbringing on a talk show in ARY channel. [37] [38]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saqlain Mushtaq</span> Pakistani cricketer

Saqlain Mushtaq is a Pakistani cricket coach and former international cricketer who was the head coach of the Pakistani national cricket team between 2021 and 2022. He is best known for pioneering the "doosra", a leg break delivery bowled with an off break action. He was the fastest to reach the milestones of 200 and 250 wickets in ODIs. Mushtaq made history when he became the first Pakistani to take a hat-trick at a Cricket World Cup, which he did against Zimbabwe during the 1999 tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pakistan national cricket team</span> National sports team

The Pakistan national cricket team has represented Pakistan in international cricket since 1952. It is controlled by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the governing body for cricket in Pakistan, which is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Pakistan compete in cricket tours and tournaments sanctioned by the PCB and other regional or international cricket bodies in Test, One Day International (ODI), and Twenty20 International (T20) formats. Pakistan are current ICC Champions Trophy holders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh national cricket team</span> Mens cricket team

The Bangladesh men's national cricket team, popularly known as The Tigers, is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). It is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saeed Anwar</span> Pakistani cricketer

Saeed Anwar is a Pakistani former cricketer and a former captain for Tests and ODIs. An opening batsman and occasional slow left arm orthodox bowler, Anwar played international cricket between 1989 and 2003. Considered one of greatest opening batsmen Pakistan has ever produced and also regarded as one of the finest batsmen of his era. Anwar has scored twenty centuries in ODIs, more than any other Pakistani batsmen in this format. He played 55 Test matches, scoring 4052 runs with eleven centuries, average 45.52. In 247 One Day Internationals (ODIs) he made 8824 runs at an average of 39.21. Anwar is credited for being one of the most stylish batsmen of 1990s alongside Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn and Sourav Ganguly. His timing, elegance and placement of cricket shots are widely admired by cricket fans. He was a part of the squad which finished as runners-up at the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saleem Malik</span> Pakistani cricketer

Saleem Malik is a Pakistani former cricketer. He played for the Pakistan national cricket team between 1981/82 and 1999, at one stage captaining the side. He was a wristy, right-handed middle-order batsman who was strong square of the wicket. His off break bowling was also quite effective. Despite playing more than 100 Tests he would go down in cricket history as the first of a number of international cricketers to be banned for match fixing around the start of the 21st century. Saleem is the brother-in-law of former teammate Ijaz Ahmed. He was a part of the Pakistani squad which won the 1992 Cricket World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammad Hafeez</span> Retired Pakistani cricketer

Mohammad Hafeez is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer. He was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, and had a major role in the final, where he scored an unbeaten innings of 57. He retired from Test cricket after the third and final match against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi in December 2018, departing the ground for the final time in white clothing to a guard of honour from his teammates. On 3 January 2022, he announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket, ending a career that spanned more than 18 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Younis Khan</span> Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer

Mohammad Younis Khan PP SI is a Pakistani professional cricket coach and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all three formats of the game, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest middle-order batsmen in Test cricket. Khan is the only Test cricketer in the history of the game to score a century in all 11 countries that have hosted Test matches. Younis Khan was a member of the Pakistan cricket team that won the Asia cup in 2012.Under his Captaincy Pakistan won the 2009 World Twenty20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azhar Ali</span> Pakistani cricketer

Azhar Ali,(Punjabi:اظہر علی); born 19 February 1985) is a Pakistani former international cricketer. He is former captain of ODI and test side of Pakistan national team.

Usman Qadir is a former Pakistani International cricketer. He was part of the bronze medal-winning team at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. He made his international debut for the Pakistan cricket team in November 2020. On 3 October 2024, He announced his retirement at the early age of 31.

The New Zealand national cricket team toured Pakistan during the 1996–97 cricket season. The tour consisted of a first-class game against an invitational Pakistani Cricket board XI, followed by two Test matches and three One Day International games. The hosts and tourists shared honours in the Test series, drawing 1–1, though New Zealand won with only a narrow 44-run margin in the first Test, and lost the second by an innings and ten runs. New Zealand's Stephen Fleming enjoyed a successful series with the bat, scoring 182 runs at 60.66 in the Test series and 172 runs at 86.00 in the ODI matches, though the rest of the New Zealand batting line-up were said by the New Zealand press to have let the side down with the bat during the Test matches. Nathan Astle, questioned over his place during the tour, redeemed himself with a half century in the final ODI match to alleviate heavy media pressure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imam-ul-Haq</span> Pakistani cricketer (born 1995)

Imam-ul-Haq is a Pakistani international cricketer who plays for the Pakistan National Cricket Team. In his first One Day International (ODI), against Sri Lanka, he became the second batter for Pakistan, and thirteenth overall, to score a century on debut. In August 2018, he was one of 33 players to be awarded a central contract for the 2018–19 season by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Khushdil Shah is a Pakistani international cricketer who played for Federally Administered Tribal Areas. He played for Multan Sultan in the Pakistan Super League. He made his international debut for the Pakistan cricket team in November 2019.

Abdullah Shafique is a Pakistani international cricketer who plays for the Pakistan national cricket team across all formats. A right-handed top-order batter, he also plays for Lahore Qalandars in the PSL and previously played for Central Punjab and Balochistan in Pakistan's domestic cricket.

Mohammad Wasim Wazir is a Pakistani international cricketer who plays for the Pakistan national cricket team. He also plays for Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League.

References

  1. ↑ "Ijaz Ahmed Profile, Age, Bio - CREX | crex.live". Ijaz Ahmed | CREX.
  2. 1 2 3 "Cricketing Dynasties: The Twenty Two Families of Pakistan's Test Cricket – Part 5 | Sports | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk.
  3. ↑ Inzamam-ul-Haq, 28 May 1997, Outlook India . Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. "Teammate Ijaz Ahmed nods along. Contrary to media reports, he too could not meet cousins in Jalandhar for the same reason."
  4. ↑ Ijaz Ahmed in 1987 Cricket World Cup. Retrieved on 31-12-2011 Archived 24 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "Ijaz Ahmed named Pakistan's batting consultant for Zimbabwe tour". Yahoo News. 12 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "PCB appoints Ijaz Ahmed as assistant coach". The Express Tribune. 18 August 2011.
  7. ↑ Ijaz Ahmed – U-19 Coach.Retrieved on 31-12-2011 Archived 23 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Mudassar, Aaqib take up roles at Lahore Qalandars". Dawn . 27 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 "2nd Test, Australia tour of Pakistan at Faisalabad, Sep 23-28 1988". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  10. 1 2 "3rd Test, Pakistan tour of Australia at Perth, Nov 26-28 1999". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Final, Asian Test Championship at Dhaka, Mar 12-15 1999". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  12. 1 2 "4th Match, Wills Asia Cup at Chittagong, Oct 29 1988". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  13. 1 2 "1st Match (D/N), Coca-Cola Cup at Sharjah, Apr 7 1999". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  14. 1 2 "3rd ODI (D/N), India tour of Pakistan at Lahore, Oct 2 1997". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  15. ↑ "Statistics / Statsguru / Ijaz Ahmed / Test matches / Hundreds". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  16. ↑ "1st Test, Pakistan tour of Australia at Melbourne, Jan 12-16 1990". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  17. ↑ "3rd Test, Pakistan tour of Australia at Sydney, Nov 30 - Dec 4 1995". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  18. ↑ "Only Test, Pakistan tour of New Zealand at Christchurch, Dec 8-12 1995". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  19. ↑ "2nd Test, Pakistan tour of England and Scotland at Leeds, Aug 8-12 1996". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  20. ↑ "2nd Test, New Zealand tour of Pakistan at Rawalpindi, Nov 28 - Dec 1 1996". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  21. ↑ "1st Test, Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka at Colombo, Apr 19-23 1997". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  22. ↑ "3rd Test, West Indies tour of Pakistan at Karachi, Dec 6-9 1997". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  23. ↑ "2nd Test, Australia tour of Pakistan at Peshawar, Oct 15-19 1998". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  24. ↑ "3rd Test, Australia tour of Pakistan at Karachi, Oct 22-26 1998". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  25. ↑ "Statistics / Statsguru / Ijaz Ahmed / One-Day Internationals / Hundreds". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  26. ↑ "6th Match, Benson & Hedges World Series at Brisbane, Feb 10 1990". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  27. ↑ "5th Match, Wills Triangular Series at Rawalpindi, Oct 20 1994". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  28. ↑ "9th Match, Mandela Trophy at Durban, Dec 17 1994". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  29. ↑ "3rd ODI, Zimbabwe tour of Pakistan at Peshawar, Nov 3 1996". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  30. ↑ "3rd Final, Silver Jubilee Independence Cup at Dhaka, Jan 18 1998". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  31. ↑ "3rd ODI, Australia tour of Pakistan at Lahore, Nov 10 1998". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  32. ↑ "3rd ODI, Zimbabwe tour of Pakistan at Rawalpindi, Nov 24 1998". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  33. ↑ "Ex-cricketer Ijaz Ahmed arrested in Rs.10-million scam". DAWN.COM. 26 March 2009.
  34. ↑ "Court charges ex-Pakistan Test cricketer Ijaz Ahmed | Cricket News". NDTVSports.com.
  35. ↑ "Former Pakistan batsman Ijaz bailed in fraud case". 19 May 2009 – via www.reuters.com.
  36. ↑ "Ijaz Ahmed charged in forgery case". ESPNcricinfo.
  37. ↑ "TimesNow Article".
  38. ↑ "MMNews Article".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.